The present invention relates to toy blocks, and more particularly to freestanding, balancing figure, toy building blocks which may be used alone, or in combinations, in free-standing form, without other connecting elements.
Toy blocks in various simple geometric configurations are, and long have been, well known. Additionally, toy blocks have heretofore been known in a variety of configurations which include various symmetrical forms imitating the general shape of the human body. Among such known prior toy block designs are those disclosed, for example, in Schmelzer U.S. Pat. No. Des. 52,546; Diefenbach U.S. Pat. No. Des. 58,462; Sargent U.S. Pat. No. 1,648,199; Hecht U.S. Pat. No. R. 20,652 (a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 2,078,709); Dabrohua U.S. Pat. No. Des. 143,272; Shuman U.S. Pat. No. Des. 143,939; Plumer U.S. Pat. No. Des. 144,982; Symons U.S. Pat. No. Des. 274,444, and a publicly known, circa 1950, building block somewhat like that disclosed in the aforementioned Hecht patent. Other known toy figures, some of which include moving parts or require additional interactive elements, include those disclosed, for example, in Kelner U.S. Pat. No. 2,106,148; Davis U.S. Pat. No. 2,377,616; Hamar U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,312 and Goldfarb U.S. Pat. No. Des. 241,757.
The value of toys in child development is well known. Children begin to stack blocks at the age of 12-14 months, and continue to refine such basic skills throughout early childhood. As young children develop, and particularly in the age span of one to three years, the child is acquiring new skills for conceptualizing the world in which he finds himself, and from day to day finds new ways of expressing his conceptualization of that world. Those expressions include attempts to re-create the child's mental pictures of the world around him, and toys may be used by a child to re-create such images. Thus particularly during the ages of 3-7 years, blocks are used as a tool for creative, imaginative play. Blocks, building blocks and figure blocks assist the child in pretend play, provide the child with objects for communication, jesturing, and particularly, development of a sense for spatial relationships. They also provide a vehicle for development of the child's fine motor activities. Building blocks which resemble a human figure readily lend themselves to pretend play which encourages verbal skills and provides an opportunity for a child to express feelings about other people and himself.